For the first time (but hopefully not the last), Jordan Hubbard, the head of FreeNAS engineering gives a status report on the current state of the FreeNAS project and what’s in store for the future. Take a look:

Cheers,

The FreeNAS Team

Free Intro to FreeNAS & ZFS Class

You read that right — we’ll start offering a free, condensed version of the original “Intro to FreeNAS” classes soon. Linda Kateley will still cover the same topics as the full-length class including web UI, setup, volumes, and datasets but the sessions will be much shorter. Each class will be limited to 45 attendees but we expect those spots to fill up fast, so be sure to sign up early when it’s available.

We’re making a couple of changes to fit the new format. The ability to give verbal feedback will be removed due to the increased number of participants but attendees will be able to ask questions via e-mail. We will also offer paid, advanced FreeNAS classes for more in-depth instruction about the following topics:

System Administration

FreeNAS Sharing

FreeNAS Systems Design and Architecture

A beta of the system administration class will also be available soon with priority access for people who attended the full-length intro classes.

FreeNAS 9.2.1.6-BETA is Available

FreeNAS 9.2.1.6-BETA can be downloaded here. The full list of bugs fixed in 9.2.1.6 can be found here.

Some noteworthy changes include:

Samba is updated to 4.1.8

Netatalk is updated to 3.1.2

Several fixes related to the System Dataset

A new VirtualBox jail template

Several fixes related to ZFS replication

A new mpr driver, officially sanctioned by LSI, for the LSI 12 Gbps SAS HBA

An experimental in-kernel iSCSI target

A .usb file which can be imaged to a USB key. This can be used for installing FreeNAS from a USB key.

For the full list of changes, see the Release Notes. Please provide feedback on this BETA. If no major problems are found, 9.2.1.6-RELEASE will be available in approximately 14 days.

New FreeNAS Tutorial Videos

We posted a few more tutorials on our official YouTube channel this past month. The first video focuses on the basics of setting up volumes and snapshots and also covers different volume layouts including stripes, mirrors, RAIDZ, and more. By popular request, the second video demonstrates how to set up shares for Apple (AFP), Unix (NFS), Windows (CIFS), and Time Machine on FreeNAS 9.2.1.5.

Be sure to check out these videos and the rest of the channel if you need help setting up your FreeNAS. After all, who knows more about setting up FreeNAS than the people who wrote it?

New Job Position: QA Testers Wanted

Speaking of testing, iXsystems has a new job position open. We are looking for individuals who are highly self-driven and able to work closely with our engineers in assessing the most appropriate priorities for testing, the creation of automated test frameworks, and driving the overall testing process to higher levels of quality and automation.

Skills in any of the following areas are a plus but not strictly mandatory – we are willing to train the right candidates. Enthusiasm and willingness to work hard count for at least as much as experience!

The full job description can be found on the careers section of the iX site.

EconoNAS 2014 by Brian Moses

You may remember Brian from his various FreeNAS DIY articles over the years. Well, Brian recently updated his EconoNAS build for 2014. The new build is slightly more expensive than the previous version but the extra cost allows Brian to increase the storage capacity by 25% and RAM by 100%.

This is the first time he’s gone through the entire build and setup process, so he’s doing something special with the system — he’s giving it away! Make sure you check out his blog to see his hardware recommendations and find out how you can enter to win his giveaway.

FreeNAS Plugin Overview

This article from OpenLogic takes a look at using the FreeNAS plugins system to increase your system’s functionality. After an overview of several of the more popular plugins including Plex, CrashPlan, and ownCloud, the article runs through the process of plugin installation and configuration with screenshots to help readers understand what to do. Most notably, the article also includes a troubleshooting section at the end to address some of the common issues people run into when working with plugins.

FreeNAS in the Wild – BSDCan

We had a small table with freebies at BSDCan in Ottawa this year. Several of our developers attended the conference and Dev Summit including Dru, John, and Craig who all wrote recaps about their experience at the show and the work they did there. Check out the photos on our Facebook and Google+, courtesy of Ollivier Robert.

If you missed us, keep reading to find out which shows the FreeNAS team will be going to next.

Upcoming Live Events

We’ll be at the following conferences. If you’re in the area, drop by and say “hi”!

FreeNAS benefits greatly from ECC RAM, which prevents data corruption before writing to disk and while reading from it. However, if it’s a budgetary choice between ECC RAM and a better-protected RAID array due to one more disk, go with the disk every time.

If you’ve been reading about all the great things we’ve been up to and thought to yourself, “Hmm, I wish I could be a part of that”, well…now you can be!

iXsystems, the company that sponsors FreeNAS, is looking for a few good developers and QA testers to join our team. We offer competitive salaries, health benefits, stock options, 401k, and access to a fancy-schmancy coffee maker as some of the benefits. We’re a very prominent company in the world of FreeBSD; in fact, we employ more FreeBSD developers per capita than anyone else you can think of.

Interested? The full job descriptions can be found here. If this sounds like your cup of double-shot espresso, email Jordan Hubbard at jkh@ixsystems.com with your resume. Cover letters appreciated but not required.

Send Us Your Content

Got a FreeNAS hardware build you’re proud of? Come up with a tech tip while tinkering around in the GUI? Have a link or picture you think we should see? As long as it’s not something you wouldn’t send to your boss, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at FNsubmissions@ixsystems.com. We’re always on the lookout for FreeNAS and storage related content to feature in the newsletter and on our social media channels.

Connect with Us

If you need help with your FreeNAS setup or would like to show off your configuration, share your plugins, or just talk with like-minded people, join the conversation on our community forums. For video tutorials, check out our YouTube channel.